Hey, Jimbo, My record so far was a Utah trip with 17 people in the house. We didn't settle on spaghetti. One evening, there was a proper steak dinner, each piece made to order, with grilled asparagus, a bucket of salad, and baked potatoes...We'll have to sort out logistics but you can count on my coordination and guidance. Once we know who's going, and for what dates, we can ask who's for cooking together, and who's not, and plan accordingly.

I think the house is a good idea, sorry if I made it sound otherwise. I suspect some won't want to stay or will bring family and want to be on their own. Perhaps theres someone who wants to drop in for a few days and not the whole time.

I found rooms down to $28/nt and cars for $15/day on kayak.com for the dates you mentioned.

I'll be in Maui paying $130/nt for a condo, and $18 day for a car. Grrrrr......

Hey Guys,With just a week before the trip, maybe it would be good to know who's going, for how long, and who's interesting in shopping for food and cooking together.Mike seems too busy to bother him with this, so perhaps you guys can PM me your email addresses and/or phone #s so we can make some plans. Also, on previous trips, taking your favorite movies on DVDs worked great for those long evenings but with wi-fi and Netflix, it might not even be necessary.Waiting for your replies

When in SPI you should go to www.daddysrestaurant.com. Best cajun seafood I have had anywhere. West can attest as well. Get a lb of the New Orleans shrimp. The Bayou and the Mussette are also excellent.

** RED TIDE UPDATE**http://www.valleycentral.com/news/story ... .UJabO8XA-but on the other hand:http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/hab/So let's keep our fingers crossed yet let's be prepared.For those who are going there, and are not familiar with it, it's a microscopic algae that clogs gills, and causes fish to suffocate. The result: thousands of dead fish on the shore, and throat/eye irritation for you, the stronger the wind and the sea spray, the worse the symptoms.Practical considerations: be very careful while walking with your kite up on the beach. We had 3 separate incidents of people stepping on dead fish, having their skin pierced by the fish bones, and ending up in the emergency room with an allergic reaction + infection that was serious to life-threatening. The doctors, luckily, knew the situation very well there, and IVs and 2-3 days of rest was enough but still... So, I suggest take booties with you, they might not offer complete protection but at least some.If you are just learning, and your kite lands in the water often, and stays there for a while, you might have dead fish picked up by the lines when you re-launch. It's a bit gross but no injuries from it as far as I know. Just don't keep your mouth open The coughing and eye irritation is much worse on the sea side. Some guys needed swimming goggles for downwinders on bigger days, just a thought, however silly it might look

we eat at Daddy's every night....for $10 you can get a fresh piece of fish and fixins, and it will be the best cajun that side of New Orleans.....simply put it is FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The gumbo is spectacular as well......

xwindsurf wrote:** RED TIDE UPDATE**http://www.valleycentral.com/news/story ... .UJabO8XA-but on the other hand:http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/hab/So let's keep our fingers crossed yet let's be prepared.For those who are going there, and are not familiar with it, it's a microscopic algae that clogs gills, and causes fish to suffocate. The result: thousands of dead fish on the shore, and throat/eye irritation for you, the stronger the wind and the sea spray, the worse the symptoms.Practical considerations: be very careful while walking with your kite up on the beach. We had 3 separate incidents of people stepping on dead fish, having their skin pierced by the fish bones, and ending up in the emergency room with an allergic reaction + infection that was serious to life-threatening. The doctors, luckily, knew the situation very well there, and IVs and 2-3 days of rest was enough but still... So, I suggest take booties with you, they might not offer complete protection but at least some.If you are just learning, and your kite lands in the water often, and stays there for a while, you might have dead fish picked up by the lines when you re-launch. It's a bit gross but no injuries from it as far as I know. Just don't keep your mouth open The coughing and eye irritation is much worse on the sea side. Some guys needed swimming goggles for downwinders on bigger days, just a thought, however silly it might look

That's some disturbing shizz!

SPI guest list sent to all so we can coordinate the happs! Can't believe we're less than a week away already!! Warm wind, here we come!!!

Actually, accompanied by a glass of wine, after consuming the late grillins the crew prepped last night, I went in to full zombie mode out on the balcony while the SPI breeze continued in to the night before dragging my pummeled body off for a rare 9 hour slumber. Every single muscle in my body cried out as I peeled it off the mattress this morn to the kitchen for a nourishing replenishment. Kited the previous day from 10a 'till dark, screamingly lit on a fully depowered 7M for most the day! Good thing it was blasting almost 40kt gusts this morn as things turned around from the North. Gave us a well deserved break & allowed those who needed to catch up on work an opportunity until things calmed down enough to whip out the 7s again. Yeah buddy, were 4 for 4, looking for an early rise to catch #5 first thang!!

Marilys has been rockin' the skills in to shape of the newest apprentices who will grace the Chi-Town crew with the latest bunch of safe, independent kiterboarders. In fact, I think everyone on this trip'll be comin' back better kiters!

And Tom has definitely taken charge of the after kiting nutriments! He has assembled the crew for massive shopping trips, delegated the sous chefs & awarded us all with some of the finest fixins on any kite trip I've been a part of! So far some of the most prime steaks & potatoes, then local jumbo shrimp & pasta...prepped with fresh herbs & sided with crisp, grilled veggies! As is typical in this sport, our Chi crew consists of a blending of individuals from a few different countries. But we're all riding the same wave...truly an experience to behold. And more experiences to come this week!

Here's to the Chi crew back home...hope some of you can join us on the next one!...

Jackpot!!! 9 days in a row of quality SPI winds! What a sweet trip with prime kiting, companionship, cooking & even karaoke, shared with our Chi crew as well as with locals! As the wind was light today and Marilys & I decided our departure, I started missing the island already as I packed the Woody Wind Wagon and we embraced with the crew & natives for our goodbyes. As we approached the bridge over to the mainland, my eyes welled a bit as Marilys & I expressed out loud our mutual sadness this was all coming to an end… and the fact that we're lookin' at a 30-40 degree temp drop in the next 24 hours. As I type, Marilys is navigating all 3 tons of the loaded wagon approaching the Arkansas boarder…. 'bout 14 hrs 'till my own bed again.

Thanx for all who came together to not only make this trip a possibility, but to make it an amazing experience. Until next time…..

West wrote:Sounds great Mike, so stoked you guys scored BIG......but it is of course TEXAS!!!!!!!!! I'm sure everyone had a blast and learned alot...... :D

I do have to ask you one question, "did you make it to Daddy's?"

You know it brutha... my almond crusted, pan broiled fish with crab fingers in a 3-cheese cream sauce was taaaasty! We had to rearrange the crowded establishment a bit in order to squeeze in our mob so we could all dine as one. 8)

Hey! This indeed was an awesome and fun trip! Thanks a lot to all of you for welcoming another stranger in your group! I definitely had a blast and learned so much on this trip, am more than keen to hang out more doesn't matter if wind is involved or not! See you soon and hopefully on another trip!Lots of thanks to you Mike for organizing this trip, I know this involved some patience to make all those individuals happy!Susanne